KnottyByNature Designs

We're Moving!

2009-09-23T05:28:00.000-07:00

2009-05-29T04:56:00.000-07:00

"The Crevasse" 3D Street Painting

2009-05-13T05:27:00.000-07:00

The site won't let me embed the code but be sure to click

the link.

Ice Age in Ireland In Dun Laoghaire the "Festival of World Culture" took place from 21. to 24. of August 2008. Edgar Müller has followed the invitation and continued his series of large-sized 3D Pavement Art. He turned a part of the eastern Pier into the Ice Age. This project was supported by the Goethe Institution Germany as the german contribution for the Art Festival.

"The Crevasse"

Houston's Art Car Parade

2009-05-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was the annual Houston Art Car Parade. We went early to check out the cars before the parade started and here are some of my favorite cars.

HAHHAHHAAAHHAHA!

2009-04-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

The Good Wife's Guide (5/13/55 Houskeeping Monthly)

The Good Wife’s Guide

1. Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

2. Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

3. Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

4. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

5. Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc. and then run a dust cloth over the tables.

6. Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

7. Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

8. Be happy to see him.

9. Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

10. Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first – remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

11. Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

12. Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

13. Don’t greet him with complaints and problems.

14. Don’t complain if he’s late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

15. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

16. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

17. Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

18. A good wife always knows her place.

New Items in the Shop

2009-04-22T09:49:00.001-07:00

You can see more here.

Spring Bling @ Sew Crafty Houston

2009-04-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

Come out and support crafts and cocktails at the first annual Spring Bling event at Sew Crafty! We'll host craft vendors, cocktails, and treats in an upscale party setting. Party starts May 22 at 6:00 pm and lasts until 8:00pm.
The first 100 guests will receive complimentary sample bags filled with full size handmade items, rockin coupons, and loads of vendor information. Who knows, we might throw in a t-shirt!

Sew Crafty
3210 White Oak Drive
Houston, Texas 77007

April Sale.

2009-04-09T06:07:00.000-07:00

I am currently running an April sale in my Etsy shop. To receive 20% off your total purchase (minus the shipping fees), please post APRILSALE in notes to seller and wait for a PayPal invoice. This discount will be honored for those of you that received my April newsletter, I mistakenly did not edit the newsletter before sending it out.

Hand soap.

Just Wanted to Share.

2009-04-08T14:25:00.001-07:00

I Got A Treasury!

2009-04-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

Haven't created one in about 2 years. Here's the link.

Keep Calm and Carry On....

2009-03-30T06:02:00.000-07:00

To those of you who are tired of the "Keep Calm and Carry On" merchandise as seen here. I purchased this t-shirt last week from Threadless.com:

The Must Have Item(s) of the Day.

2009-03-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

Etsy seller soop creates these really unique acrylic rings in the likes of forest animals and trees. You will find sheep, deer, goats and rabbits just to name a few, that can adorn your fingers and they look best when you combine the animals with her tree rings. My favorite is the Red Squirrel.

It's that time of year again to spruce up our yards with new plants and it's nice that there is more of a variety of planters to choose from besides the usual brown and green plastic containers. I especially like the ceramic Mynta hanging planters from Ikea. Luckily for me I live a short 5 minute drive to the Houston Ikea and plan to check these out soon.

Something I Read Today...

2009-03-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

"Creativity is allowing yourself

to make mistakes.

Art is knowing which ones to keep."

-Scott Adams

Today I Want To Talk About....

2009-03-19T05:46:00.000-07:00

How About Orange, the blog from designer Jessica Jones.

This blog is by far my favorite to read and I have to admit I am a bit obsessed with checking it daily for anything new Jessica may add. For the two of you that read this blog you might remember a previous post discussing the mouse pad I purchase from her. She posts everything from really cool websites for products and resources, and links for free patterns and DIY projects.

You can find Jessica's work for sale in her Etsy shop and you can also find the fabric she designs over at JCaroline.

Fireworks/Watermelon Fabric Storage Bucket

Blue Leaflet-Modern Flora Fabric

(I actually made a bag from this fabric last year)

The Must Have Item(s) of the Day.

2009-03-18T04:51:00.000-07:00

I recently have discovered Etsy seller hotellemotelle. If you haven't seen their shop yet you'll need to check it out. The photographs are excellent and the clothes are refreshing compared to many styles that are out right now. Here are some of my favorites:

The Leprechaun of Alabama.

2009-03-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day

The KnottyByNature Designs Newsletter.

2009-03-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

Finally!

I've been wanting to set this up for a while now and finally found a site that has some great templates to make the e-mails nice and simple. I will give shop and business updates like new items, shows, and will always have a monthly coupon code.

Want to sign up? Click HERE.

As it should be there is an opt out feature if you change your mind in the future.

The Must Have Item of the Day.

2009-03-16T07:38:00.001-07:00

This Jackalope 33 Feltidermy mount from

girlsavage's shop.She has some Bunny Feltidermy's available as well. Just in time for Easter.

The Must Have Item of the Day.

2009-03-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

This Green Sprig Mousepad from Howaboutorange's shop.

I bought this same design a few months ago and love it.

The Must Have Item of the Day.

2009-03-08T15:47:00.001-07:00

Custom Woodgrain Portrait from jessyq's shop.

You provide the photo and in 3 days time you will

receive your silhouette via digital copy.

The Must Have Item of the Day.

2009-03-05T11:27:00.001-08:00

From SwirlyHat's shop. The Swirly Ice Cream Hat.

Craft Talk with Leslie Hall

2009-03-04T12:19:00.002-08:00

My First Art Market!

2009-03-02T06:55:00.000-08:00

I'm really excited about selling at my first market this Saturday, March 7. It will be held during Heights First Saturday on 19th Street in the Houston Heights. The Yale Street Art Market is held every month on the first Saturday.

I will be sharing a tent with Amie Needham from A Punkin Card Company. This will be a nice way for me to ease into selling one-on-one and see how the set-ups and tear-downs go.

Wish me luck!

A Robotastic Birthday.

2009-02-04T10:32:00.000-08:00

My little boy turned 3 last weekend and so for his party he decided he wanted a robot cake, well that in turn meant ROBOT PARTY to me. This was not an easy task because robot things, ie decorations, cake designs, and party favors are pretty much non-existent except when you don't need them and then of course they will be everywhere.

So that meant I had to make the invitations, some of the decorations and try to be clever with the cake decorating.

First the invitations. I used stickers, the ONLY robot stickers in all of the Michael's I was looking in. Then I made 3 large robots using silver wrapping, various sizes of boxes I had laying around, and florist foam. Lastly, I was tempted to have a large robot cake created but really didn't want to fork out $200-$300 for it so I opted for a photo cake using a print Jack has hanging on his wall. It didn't turn out great but he really like it. I also found robot images online to place on gift bags and was lucky enough to find a couple of robot themed items in the $1 aisle at Michaels.

Facebook Business Pages.

2009-02-02T12:11:00.000-08:00

I just recently realized I can add a separate business page to my Facebook account. These pages are searchable in a directory and you can add lots of useful information for potential buyers.

Here's my Facebook Business page.

A Photo Collage

2009-01-05T14:18:00.000-08:00

My (almost) 3-year-old son received a camera for Christmas

and here are his shots. The quality is not great at all but

viewing them in thumbnail form they have a nice grainy

look- if you like that sort of thing. Note that there are many

of feet.

First Screenprints.

2009-01-05T10:20:00.001-08:00

I received a screenprinting kit for Christmas and I am quite

pleased with my first results. I am pretty anxious and

looking forward to all the different techniques and methods

I can use. Check out the first results:

Handmade/Homemade Christmas Gifts

2008-12-15T07:41:00.000-08:00

My friend Jen and & decided to save a little money with some gifts this year by chipping in together and making in bulk some homemade salt scrubs. It was really easy to find a recipe and the nice professional looking containers for them. Plus Jen did a great job creating the labels. The next photo shows how I packaged them up, complete with a special spoon for stirring up the goodness. Now all I have to do is convince Jen to start making these and sell them in her shop. The scrubs work fantastic on your hands & feet.

The Halloweenies.

2008-12-09T14:26:00.001-08:00

So yes, this is a bit late in posting but I am still working on
this whole blog thing. I had a Halloween party for my son
and some of his friends and had to share this picture of the
Halloweenies I made. To make them you take the large size
cocktail smokies and then a can of Pillsbury dough (it's the
large sheet of the crescent dough). Cut thin slices of the
dough and then wrap them around the lil' smoky like a
mummy. Lastly make a set of eyes from mustard. And
then cook them of course.

Ringblogger.

2008-10-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Just one day after posting my new rings on Flickr I was

contacted by Ringblogger to feature one of the rings.

Well they ended up posting both new pieces and I am

thrilled for the write up and recognition. The blog is

a great site for those that are ring fanatics and love

great varieties and styles.

Selma Blair is Funny.

2008-10-15T09:01:00.001-07:00

Some New Items.

2008-10-14T21:25:00.000-07:00

After a long time of procrastinating I finally managed to create

these wood rings. They are very simple pieces and I love making

them. The wood is 1" wide and attached to a flat white gold ring

base that is adjustable. I'd love to try making the rings with some

of my larger wood discs but don't know how they would hold up

if they happened to hit something.

My Son's Lunch

2008-10-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

I took this photo recently after serving my son's lunch to him. It was just a great shot of how he will incorporate his toys in with his meals- they should never stray far. Each truck has its own parking space nestled in between pieces of salami sandwich.

Welcome!

2008-10-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

KnottyByNature Designs is a business comprised of two styles of shops: Outlined & KnottyByNature. Although I sell most of my work on Etsy I am currently expanding to other venues with hopes of creating full time.